YEREVAN, February 27. / ARKA /. Heifer International Armenia presented today an international program designed to promote innovative rural tourism in the Black Sea basin region.

The 700,000 euro worth project supported by the European Union embraces Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and Bulgaria. The program that started in November 2013 will last for 18 months.

"The project will build effective and replicable networks of capable local service providers in rural tourism, as well as will help travel agencies to co-develop market and sell a new unique tourist product that encourages interflows of visitors intra-regionally. It will contribute to unprecedented cooperation between national authorities in the region aimed ultimately to sustaining the cross-border impacts of rural tourism," said Anahit Ghazanchyan, director of the Armenian branch of Heifer Project International.

She explained that a network of travel agencies and other companies will be set up in Armenia that will establish links with similar agencies in the other three countries. The network in Armenia will develop and implement a unique tourist product called "One tour package for regional visitors ," which will be part of the regional tourism product.

Mekhak Apresyan, head of an economy ministry department overseeing tourism industry, said the program will be actively supported by the government.

"We have potential to develop agro-tourism, when tourists are involved in agricultural work,’ he said.

Heifer Project International, founded in 1944, aims at reducing global poverty. It arrived in Armenia in 1999. The organization provides also support to farmer cooperatives. -0-